EC removes hoardings welcoming Modi to his “karma bhumi” Vadodara

Ahmedabad, 19 March 2014

The district administration of Vadodara today removed large banners and hoarding surfaced on main roads to welcome BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s possible candidature on Vadodara Lok Sabha seat.

The banners and hoardings surfaced following speculative reports suggesting Narendra Modi choosing Vadodara to contest the Lok Sabha election. The decision on Modi’s seat will be announced today evening at party’s national headquarters in Delhi. Modi is already going to contest from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

Party workers in Vadodara were seen bursting crackers following reports that Modi would contest from Vadodara.

Gujarati newspapers today carried reports quoting sources in BJP that Modi would contest from Vadodara. Leading Gujarati daily Gujarat Samachar in its report said: Character ‘V’ is common in Vadodara, Varanasi, Vada pradhan(Gujarati word for Prime Minister) and Victory, therefore Vadodara seat has been chosen.

Another Gujarati daily Sandesh in its report said Modi’s candidature in Vadodara can impact a few weak central Gujarat seats positively. Presently three central Gujarat Lok Sabha seats – Anand, Kheda and Dahod are with Congress, and two seats Panchmahal and Chhota Udepur have history of electing Congress alternatively.

Local TV channels are now showing how Modi had worked as RSS pracharak in 1980s from Vadodara’s Salatwada based simple office of RSS.

Meanwhile, local MP from Vadodara Shri Balu Shukla told news channels that Modi was his political Guru and he would be happy to work for Modi’s victory on Vadodara seat.

Vadodara is one of the safest seats for BJP in Gujarat. Present MP is first time MP. He was earlier Mayor of Vadodara city. As BJP candidate he won with highest margin in Gujarat in year 2009.

The state BJP has already appointed Modi loyalist minister Saurabh Patel as incharge of Vadodara Lok Sabha seat. In 2012, Patel was shifted to Vadodara from Botad in Saurashtra to contest assembly election. He is Vadodara MLA presently.

Congress has selected Narendra Rawat to contest from Vadodara. Rawat has been selected through primary election. Rawat is Congress party’s city unit president.

According to BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, Modi was invited to contest by local units in 18 out of total 26 constituencies in Gujarat. Ahmedabad(East), Vadodara and Surat seats were further zeroed in by state leadership. Of them two seats Vadodara and Surat are such that Modi can win with huge margin even without paying a single visit.